Paparazzi Jewelry

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I don't know about you, but I do not walk out of the house without jewelry. I have a large free-standing jewelry box full of accessories and I can never have enough!  I can't think of a better way to pull together an outfit. I have considered getting a side job as a consultant of some kind and always thought it would be a perfect fit for me to sell jewelry. Paparazzi sells jewelry and accessories, changing its inventory every couple of weeks so you have access to fresh styles all the time.

Business Opportunity: If you are looking to make some extra money, you can join Paparazzi Accessories and become a member of Debbie's Dazzling Divas! When you become a Paparazzi Consultant, Debbie will connect you with a proven leader within the company who is dedicated to making sure you are successful. In addition to access to your leader, you can also consult Debbie, and have access to other support with an active Facebook group.

Shopping! If you are not interested in selling and would like to do some shopping instead, you can check out their amazing product line.  Not only is there a fabulous assortment of jewelry and accessories, but they are all ONLY $5 each or less!!! I could not believe it. I usually spend about $15 per accessory so with Paparazzi I can get 3 for the price of what I would usually pay for 1. Shopping on the site is great because you can shop by style or color, seriously cutting down the time it takes to find your perfect piece. I have received items from them in the past and their jewelry is great! In fact, I wear a piece from Paparazzi Jewelry almost weekly and have received a lot of compliments.   You can shop for Paparazzi Jewelry at www.DebsJewelryShop.com.

*I will be provided with samples as a thank you for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Van's Natural Foods Review & Giveaway!

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I have been on a health kick over the past few months and while I am enjoying eating healthy foods, I am having a hard time convincing my husband and children to eat healthier with me. With school starting in two days, I have been trying to stock my pantry with healthier snack foods so I was thrilled when I received an assortment of Van's Natural Foods to review. Not only does their food taste good, but their foods are natural and healthier than many other snacks we are used to eating. 

Most well known for their frozen breakfast foods,  they now offer a wide variety to satisfy many dietary needs (wheat/gluten free along with organic, mini and 8 Whole Grain varieties). The recently launched their first line of all-natural, nutrition-packed, whole grain snack bars, cereal, and crackers.

Review: I received a nice selection of snacks to review but instantly fell in love with the crackers! Their whole grain crackers are available in five varieties including Fire Roasted Veggie, Lots of Everything!, Multigrain, Say Cheese! and The Perfect 10. Each variety is gluten-free and packed with 16 grams of whole grain per serving and contain no artificial flavors, color, or preservatives.  

We received the snacks the day before we went on vacation so we toted them all with us and it was a real treat to have these healthy and delicious snacks with us. My husband and son dove right into the individually packaged Say Cheese! crackers and they LOVED them. My son is used to eating packaged cheese crackers but said that he liked these better and I certainly liked these better because they are so much more nutritious. The Perfect 10 crackers were amazing as well. There was so much flavor packed into every cracker that I could not stand the thought of pairing it with a dip or a cheese because there was enough goodness eating them by themselves. My absolute favorite, however, was the Fire-Roasted Veggie crackers. They were really crispy and the blend of vegetable flavors was outstanding. These may have been the best crackers I have ever eaten - I had a hard time limiting myself! 

We also had the opportunity to review  a box of Cinnamon Heaven Cereal. The cereal offers nutrient-rich whole grains, including gluten free oats, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and amaranth along with 5 grams of fiber per serving. I was very excited to have my son try this because his favorite cereal is another cinnamon flavored variety that has way too much sugar.  He said that he liked Cinnamon Heaven and that it reminded him of his favorite brand but that he enjoyed the other one better. Darn! However, he said that he would continue to eat Cinnamon Heaven if I bought it so I have a plan to slowly replace the other brand with Van's because of the nutritional benefits. 

Van's Snack Bars are naturally gluten-free and baked with whole grains (and 4g of fiber per serving!). They are available in Cranberry Almond, Chocolate Chip, or Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. They are free from artificial ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and GMO oils. We received the Cranberry Almond to review which thrilled me because I put cranberries and almonds into tons of foods already. The snack bar was delicious and was a great and filling in-between meals snack.

I was thrilled with all of the Van's foods and would definitely buy them again!

Buy it here: You can use Van's store locator tool to find a store near you.

Win it here:

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*I was provided with the above mentioned products for the purpose of facilitating this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Reader's Choice Review and Giveaway (3 Winners)

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It is hard to believe that this year is the 20th anniversary of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. As part of their 20th-anniversary celebration, they asked their readers to tell us how their favorite Chicken Soup for the Soul stories affected them. As a result,  Chicken Soup for the Soul: Reader's Choice 20th Anniversary Edition: The Chicken Soup for the Soul Stories that Changed Your Lives  was born.  This edition has stories in pairs - a new story written just for this book, followed by the story or poem that the reader found so inspiring in one of the past 250+ titles. 

The stories and reflections are organized into the following chapters:
Epiphanies
Attitude Adjustments
Great Advice
Motivation
Doing Good
Amazing Connections

Review: This is a totally over-simplified way to describe this title, but I am going to write it anyhow: this edition was really cool! I have been reading these books for, well, 20 years and I have certainly experienced my moments of inspiration so it was really neat to read how these real-life stories helped others improve their lives. My favorite chapter was "Amazing Connections" which shared stories of people bonding after reading an earlier edition. There was even a story from a woman who found her daughter she gave up for adoption as a result of having one of her stories published in a Chicken Soup for the Soul edition. How awesome is that! The collection of reactions in this edition really do illustrate how there are Chicken Soup for the Soul editions for just about everyone and there are simple and profound reactions that can occur when reading about the strength in other people. This is a must-have edition for any Chicken Soup for the Soul lover!

Buy it here: You can purchase Chicken Soup for the Soul books from your local bookstore and from Amazon. 

Win it here:
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I was provided with the above mentioned book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.  

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Lulalu Review

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Lulalu is a colorful collection of products that stick where magnets do - and where they do not. Use Lulalu on stainless steel refrigerators, mirrors, glass and other smooth non-porous surfaces. Sick and re-stick again and again. The products leave no marks or residue and the sticky surface can be revived with water or a vinegar-based cleaner. 

The Lulalu Paper Pad allows you to upgrade your important daily plans, reminders and lists on vibrant and colorful papers. On one pad there is a column for "now" , "later", and "whenever" so you can prioritize your to-do lists. The Stripe Weekly Pad allows you to keep a weekly calendar in a fun and modern way. The pads have 50 sheets and measure 10 x 10".

 

Review: I took the Now, Later, Whenever pad to work to help me organize my never ending to-do list. I was using Post-it notes to help me but there have been times when I dropped a note or accidentally threw it away and an entire to-do item was lost - not good!! Plus, during really busy times the Post-its can take over my space and make it look very messy. This pad not only makes my work space look more organized, it helped me keep more organized. I like the column strategy and it really helped me prioritize my tasks. This is an attractive and functional change to my previous system!

I decided to use the Stripe Weekly Pad to help keep the family to-do lists in one place. To date, I had not been able to figure out a good system for this and there have been negative consequences. The calendar sticks nicely to my refrigerator and I love the bright, attractive colors. It has already proven to be very helpful. Since my husband and I do not wake up at the same time in the morning currently, this has been a nice way to remind him of my "honey do" list which has been getting longer and longer as school is approaching. I am looking forward to using this to help with school organization as well. I am planning on putting test and project reminders for my kids as well as paperwork reminders for me. No more late field trip slips from this family!  I am already very happy with this system and am pretty confident it will continue to help us keep organized once the school year starts and things get more hectic. 

Both pads had great sticking power, yet were completely repositionable. Since the adhesive is on the entire back side of the pads, there was no problem with the weight of the pad causing it to slide. My daughter was even a little rough with the Stripe Weekly Pad, but it stayed in place right on the refrigerator! 

Connect Here: You can find Lulalu on Facebook and Pinterest.

*Disclaimer 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Flirty Aprons Flash Sale!

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Mom & Daughters Flash Sale!


Once again Flirty Aprons is flashing you with their fantastic aprons. These aprons for both mom and daughter are marked down 40% and with the code you will get free shipping also. Huge deal, huge savings, huge fun. 

Hurry, the sale only lasts till Tuesday and many of the favorite aprons will sell out quickly. Sales in a flash, but only if you get your links up NOW.
 

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Standing Up Giveaway and Anti-Bullying Pledge Printable

Did you know that more than 160,000 U.S. students stay home from school each day from fear of being bullied?  Based on one of the most beloved Young Adult novels of all time and directed by the acclaimed D.J. Caruso, Standing Up follows two kids who get bullied by a vicious summer camp prank. Left together on an island, their adventure begins once they decide not to be victims and instead they Stand Up! 

What can be done to help the bullied “stand up” for themselves? One of the best things we can do to understand the problem and discuss solutions is to be inspired. The movie “Standing Up” is THAT inspiration. Standing Up is an adorable and heart-warming gem of a movie with an important anti-bullying message that’s suitable for the whole family! Get the DVD August 20!

Take the Anti-Bullying Pledge! PDF PRINTABLE - I frequently talk to my children about bullying and last week, I almost burst into tears of pride when another mom told me that when her son started school all of the kids, except my son, Jack, were picking on him. She said that her son would come come and tell her what a horrible day he had, but that Jack stood up to the bullying for him. What a proud moment for me!  

Standing Up not only has incredible charm, it also carries a powerful message. After watching the movie as a family, sit down with your young one(s) and talk about some of the essential life lessons from Standing Up. Tell your children about how bullying can affect even the strongest of people. Read and sign the Standing Up to Bullies Pledge and pin it on the fridge, bulletin board, or wherever you can see it as a reminder. You can click on the image below for a printer-friendly version.

Standing Up Blog App: Take the Do YOU Stand Up to Bullies? QUIZ - Like in the movie Standing Up, life is full of beautiful, amazing things, but bullies sure aren't one of them! Do you stand up to bullies? Or do you let them intimidate you and others? Take this quiz to see where you stand and get tips and tricks to beat the bullies in your life.

Win it here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The assets included were provided to me in promotion of Arc Entertainment's Standing Up. 

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Guest Post: 10 Useful Baking Tips (from PAM Cooking Spray)

With fall right around the corner, it is almost time to start utilizing your oven again to prepare some of your favorite baked meals and desserts. While it is easy to buy your favorite baked items, nothing beats a freshly baked treat. Use the following simple baking tips to take the fear out of baking and make your baking experiences a breeze.

1. Review your recipe before starting. Check that you have all the necessary tools and ingredients to properly prepare the recipe. Follow your recipe carefully to ensure that you come out with a successful finished product.

2. Always measure your ingredients. When baking, eyeballing measurements can completely ruin a recipe.

3. Coat dishes with non-stick cooking spray before baking to make cleanup easy. 

4. Utilize quality, fresh ingredients to get the best results out of your baked goods.

5. Accurate measurements are extremely important when baking. Use the proper measurement devices to ensure that your measurements are accurate. For example, use measuring cups and calibrated measuring spoons to measure dry and liquid ingredients to be certain that your measurements are accurate and consistent.

6. Pay close attention to the temperature that your ingredients should be in before you begin preparing the recipe. As a rule of thumb, always bring ingredients such as eggs and butter to room temperature unless otherwise noted.

7. Combine your dry ingredients together before adding them to your wet ingredients.

8. Never increase the baking temperature in an attempt to cook food faster. Always bake at the specified recipe temperature.

9. Remember that food continues to cook after you remove it from the oven. Always account for residual heat when baking. Cook and cool food as directed.

10. Preheat your oven so that it is at the proper baking temperature during the entire baking process. Also, pay close attention to the position of the oven rack. The higher the position, the faster it will cook.

Baking doesn’t have to be intimidating. Bake perfect creations every time with these easy baking tips.

The post was written on behalf of PAM Cooking Spray. For other cooking tips visit the PAM website.

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